cruisestitch

Gift shops, jewelry shops open when not in port . It's the liquor / tobacco store not opening at all on this Rome. - Barcelona itinerary.

The Elite breakfast changed again this morning. See my other post for details.

We have BOTH Donna and Rossy as CC hostesses on Equinox this cruise. Not sure who will stay on after Presidents Cruise.

Donna reports that Ti-Ann has left the company.

Yesterday we had the three tier system

Today there are menus,

No new items, no items taken away

There is the salmon (and accompaniments) platter, meat platter, cheese platter, fruit platter, pastry platter and "ultimate" combo platter

Also On this cruise, and will post some observations as well. there are so many special events on this cruise they did an opening night Captains Club cocktail party, 45 minutes in length.

Elite breakfast in Tuscan used the three tier tray system. Passengers expressed dissatisfaction and apparently tomorrow some other system will be tried.

The liquor store will be closed for the entire cruise and no tobacco sales either.

More observations to come.

An earlier post asked if it has been moved or is still in Tuscan, anybody know? Had it been on the move on Equinox , or any other ships for that matter?

It depends on the ports and the time of year. Try it during spring break in the Caribbean and it will probably be taken.

I'm confused. I've been told that some activities have been cut because they only appeal to a small percentage if the passengers (even though I have seen trivia contests with over 50 participants on a regular basis that's one that I was told didn't have enough.) How many teenagers regularly sail in Celebrity? How can this possibly be part of an activities schedule? Even if some 20, 30 and 40 year olds join in, I can't see how this can be justified and free Zumba gets cut?

Shower curtains. They have not changed the bathrooms in the verandah staterooms.

Your only non buffet option on embarking day will likely be Bistro on 5.

Some of like to have brunch/ lunch in a nice restaurant in town and board a little later when the rooms are likely to be ready.

No but we are hopeful they will follow Royals lead soon!

Not silly at all. Sincerely held beliefs that lead to action are signs of strength not silliness. Watch the situation for a couple if months and make plans for an alternate vacation just in case.

I always put them on before the flight. Airline personnel have said that there is no way the bar codes cause any problems for the airlines. And if the bag goes astray it helps them know that it needs to get to a cruise, not back to your home. If it happens to get torn off, they provide new ones at the pier.

A cruise "greeter" in FLL said that if they ever see a lone suitcase going round and round the carousel unclaimed and it has cruise tags on it, they can get it to the ship.

I agree about removing all previous flight tags. Airline personnel always do that when they put the new flight tags on but they always leave the cruise tags because the bar codes aren't going to mess up the airline baggage routing.

just call room service and order, wait times are not usually too long and they will tell you approximately how long it will take when you call

It's probably too soon to know, contracts and vacation schedules change at a momeny's notice it seems, so check back in November and you might get an accurate answer.

I was thinking that as of now those aqua suites are double occupancy only. On order for five people to fine in Blu you would need either 3 Aqua rooms , or one AQ and one triple occupancy Suite, and even then, dining in Blu is not guaranteed, it's in a space available basis, although I imagine that they will work very hard to make it possible to dine together as long as they can be flexible in their dining time preference.

Will the Aqua Suites accommodate more than two passengers?

Yes indeed bring as many as you like

Probably chartered.

Buffet and dining room will open about 6;30 until about 8.

In another post, you say that you are close to your cruise date. Depending on how close, it may be too late to make this booking. When are you cruising?

Since you have the email from the TA, the agency should be able to make it right, depending on when your cruise is, since they can't make changes in the last few days right up to the departure date.

Take that e-mail with you and show it to Guest Relations.

Which would have had greater monetary value, the gratuities or the drinks package?

The gratuities will actually probably show on your on-board account as a general on-board credit (OBC) which you could use to buy drinks packages.

Or just keep it listed as OBC and use it for the gratuities, which you would be paying anyway.

If you have to buy your drinks packages on board, and end up with out of pocket money to do so, the TA should at least make good on that.

This is the service charge, also called tip or gratuity.

It is part of all beverage purchases, so it would have been part of your previous purchase..

For customers in the UK, it is folded into the price of the beverage packages. For others, it is added to the price of the beverage package. The total is the same either way.

You might want to ask your dinner package separately, since it is a different issue and you'll get more focused responses if it is separated out from the beverage package question.

Always take a copy of any paperwork you have from your travel agent that lists perks you are supposed to receive, they can't make adjustments after the cruise, only while you are on board, but Guest Relations will do their best to see that everything is as you expected and it helps to have your copies with you.

And that glassed-in wine "cellar" structure in the MDR on S class ships is quite amazing to view in itself.